HOCKEY PROMPT- If you don't want to get wacky, then I have a question for you about the actual game of hockey. Do trick plays have a place in the sport?

Absolutely they do! Hockey in general suffers form an old mans game syndrome. Coaches and general managers get recycled through the system because teams don't want to take risks on new thinking. It's understandable, but leads to everyone adopting the same system that has been refined for so long. There is no want for GMs to hire coaches who are different, because if their difference isn't immediately apparent and beneficial, then it is the GM's head on the chopping block. Likewise coaches generally don't see success by playing this way, so the ones who are open to being different are shunned at lower levels and unless they see extreme success don't get promoted all the way up.
Trick plays work because they are unexpected. They confuse the defense. The fans absolutely love them and in rare circumstances can even change the course of the game. Influence either rules or teams adopt to the strategy, which is healthy for the sport.